Brownie For Your Thoughts?
by SadieGirl18
Summary: Chloe trying to bake a cake for her aunt's birthday. But we all know Chloe isn't the best cook, so there's going to be trouble, and she needs the help of Derek, Simon, and Tori! Please Read and Review! Back on Hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: ****Unfortunately, I do NOT own The Darkest Powers Series, or their phenomenal characters. The rights to those go to the author Kelley Armstrong herself. . . I still love Derek though, even if I don't own him on paper. . . I still do in my mind. . . **

**A/N: Okay this is a Chloe, Derek, Simon, Tori Two-shot. It was going to be a One-shot but somethings came up and I had to cut it in half. And I actually wasn't going to post this at all because I wrote this like a month ago, no joke, and I was going through my documents and came across, it, so I polished it a bit. I don't know how good it is, and if I dont get enough Reviews I probably won't waste my time on the other chapter because I have other stories that I need to concerntrate on, but Please Read this and Please Review so I know whether or not to write the other chapter to this. Again it's suppose to be a Two-shot, but It'll be a One-shot unless I get enought Reviews asking for the next chatper to it. Thanks- Anya.**

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**Chapter One**

**Destruction avoided**

Chloe had been trying to do something nice for her Aunt Lauren. It was her birthday after all.

So she woke up extra early and cleaned the house that the six- Chloe, Derek, Simon, Tori, Aunt Lauren, and Kit- had been renting for a little over a month now.

Everyone was out of the house at the moment. Kit had took her aunt to some sort of secret meeting with some people that he believed could help us. Derek and Simon were out in the backyard playing football, and Tori- well Chloe had no clue where she was, she usually stayed out of the way unless she needed something.

So Chloe had plenty of time to get all the chores done, and now she moved into the spacious kitchen pulling bowls from the cabinets and all the ingredients to bake a cake.

The thing that wasn't so great was her experience with cooking. In fact she was awful, and if Derek had even caught her _near_ the oven he'd probably explode.

Not that she could blame him.

The last time she had tried to cook she almost set the house on fire. Who knew that bacon went into a _pan_ on _top_ the stove and was _not_ to be placed on those racks in the oven? She had set them neatly lined up so they couldn't slip through the cracks, but unfortunately the grease did, and everything started smoking and burning.

It was awful to clean up.

And now whenever Derek even seen her heading in the direction of the kitchen he'd flinch, and be all- "Don't even think about going near that stove, Chloe."

Oh yeah, he got it later for that comment. No willing kisses for him, he had to beg- it was a fun day in the end.

So, Chloe grabbed the box of mix and added all the ingredients into the bowl, mixing it all together in the bowl. Then placed it in the oven, and cleaned up her mess.

She figured that she'd have enough time for a shower, but once she had gotten out and dressed, she smelled something,. . . something bad.

And then she heard the booming voice of Derek. "Chloe!"

She knew she was in for it then.

Racing for kitchen she passed Simon who was untying his shoes. "What's that smell?" he asked, but Chloe ignored him and headed straight towards Derek who pulled something out of the oven that was black and sunken in.

He chucked it on top of the stove and turned Chloe.

His emerald eyes fierce. "Do you want to explain. . .that?" he asked, in angry voice pointing at the thing on the stove that looked like a giant black prune, all shriveled up.

Her wide eyes turned to Derek and she swallowed hard. "It was suppose to be a birthday cake for Aunt Lauren," she said, her voice low, and pathetic.

Immediately Derek's eyes softened a bit at her sad tone, and Chloe knew he couldn't yell at her while she was looking at him like that, so she used it to her advantage sometimes, especially when she was desperate.

Derek sighed, and ran a hand through his hand.

He knew that she was just trying to do something nice for her aunt, who hadn't been very open minded about her niece dating a werewolf. And sometimes Derek agreed with her. It was dangerous being with him, he knew that, and often debated about whether or not Chloe should be with him. . . should even be _near_ him. But he just couldn't bring himself to talk to her about it, he was too selfish to turn her away. He needed her too much now, craved her constant presence, her scent, her touch. Derek wasn't sure if he'd be able to survive without Chloe by his side. And that's why he tried to keep calm when she did things without analyzing the ending result, like baking a cake for instance.

Derek gave Chloe a look, one that said that he wasn't that upset about the whole 'almost burning the house down again' ordeal.

Chloe gave him a sheepish smile back. "You should go take a shower, and I'll clean up this mess. When you get out maybe we can try and bake another cake, together?" Her voice held hope.

Derek couldn't say no, not when she was staring at him with those big clear blue eyes that held so much faith in his ability to fix the mess she made. Not many people put that kind of trust in him, very few actually, and he knew he couldn't let her down. Normally he wasn't the type to bake cakes, but for Chloe he would. "Sure," he mumbled and went to take a quick shower.

In the meantime, Chloe had got Simon to join their baking mission and he helped her clean the bowls out.

"You know, I don't think Derek would have agreed to bake a cake if me or Dad had asked him to," Simon said, giving Chloe a wink and a smile.

Chloe of course blushed and looked down. "That's not true," she mumbled, smiling at the thought of Derek only agreeing to do certain things because of her.

"Yes it is. He cares about you, Chloe, way more than he's willing to admit right now. He'd probably wash, dry, _and _fold your clothes if you asked him to. You have him wrapped around your finger, and I have to say it's pretty amusing to watch."

Chloe rolled her eyes and shook her in protest, but she was secretly pleased that Simon thought Derek was into her that much that he would go to such lengths to impress her.

When Derek finally finished his shower and came into the kitchen and checked the cabinets all he came up with was a box of brownie mix. "We're going to have to make brownies instead, we have no more cake mix."

Chloe's eyes widened. "I don't know how to make brownies."

"You don't know how to make cake either apparently," Tori's loud voice echoed through the kitchen as she sauntered in wearing pajama bottoms and a blue cami.

Simon rolled his eyes at his half-sister. "Ignore her, Chloe, I'm guessing she woke up on the wrong side of the bed, this morning, or should I say this afternoon. Brownies are pretty simple to make. . .well I think they are, wouldn't know myself considering I can't really eat them."

Chloe opened her mouth to say something, but Tori beat her to it.

"Excuse me, but I _had_ to take a nap, because _some_ people think it's normal to wake up at the crack of dawn to get _all _pumped and loud about going outside to play basketball. Next time keep it down. People, who got the bad bedrooms that are positioned right next to the vents can hear you shouting and high-fiving. It's annoying, don't do it again, unless you want to be thrown against a wall."

"God, someone forgot to take their Midol, it seems," Simon mock-whispered.

Tori raised her hand, and poised it so it was directed at Simon, but Chloe rushed over in time to bring her hand to her side.

"Okay, let's just think here for a minute. We're in the kitchen guys, and we haven't been here very long, and I know we don't want to move again. So let's just try to be civil so I can bake brownies for my aunt." Chloe was using her begging voice, and it seemed to work to her advantage. Simon sighed and leaned against the counter folding his arms across his chest, and Tori headed for the fridge to fetch herself some lunch.

Chloe and Derek shared a look:_ Destruction avoided._

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_**A/NN: Again, this is going to be a Two-Shot, but it will remain a one-shot if I don't get enough Reviews requesting for the next and last chapter. Thanks for reading and please Review!**_  
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	2. Chapter Two: Tension

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Darkest Powers. . .at all, sadly. **

**AN: Well, apparently, I really, really, really miss Chloe, Derek, Simon, and Tori, a whole lot, because chapters to my previous stories keep bombarding my every waking thought. . .So, since I've gotten so many freaking reviews. . . I'm thinking about maybe turning this little one-two-or three shot into a story. . . possibly. . . I don't know, actually, I'm not sure were my thoughts or fingers that type with out my permission are going to lead me in this story. I just press my fingers to the keys and type uncontrollably. . .It's strange, actually, because most of the time I don't even know what I'm writing. . .words just come to me. I had to reread the first chapter to this, today, and while reading it, I was like- "Did I write that? Huh, I don't even remember any of it." So, yeah, I'm a little freaked out, because I have a pretty good memory. . .most of the time. But anyway- I'm rambling, obviously- I dont want to get too off-track here, I just wanted to say. . .I'm BACK! YAY! I've been on this Darkest Powers kick all of the sudden, I've read the last like 100 pages of the Reckoning like a thousand times, and I can't get over how interesting and complex Derek and Chloe 'sort of relationship' is. Obviously, they care for eachother- a great deal too, but they've never really came out and said- "I like you" or "I love you" so sooner or later all of that's going to need to be brought up and said. . . so I'm making things a little more. . .awkward, I guess, more tention, and Chloe's finally going to put down her foot when Derek gets in one of his moods, and she's going to let him know he can't just push her away whenever he feels like it. . . So without further ado. . .Here's chapter Two!**

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**Chapter Two**

**Tension **

"Okay, now crack two eggs into the bowl, add a half-cup of vegetable oil, and a table spoon of water," Simon instructed, as if he were a professional cook.

Chloe gave him a sweet smile, before doing what she was told, and mixing all of the ingredients into the bowl along with the brownie mix. She figured that when they all did this together, with Simon encouraging her, and Derek supervising so she didn't make any. . .unfortunate mistakes that could cost them their safety, it seemed easier, more fun.

She could actually spot Tori smile a bit at Simon's cooking antics, as she spooned her Frosted Flakes into her mouth, while resting her hip against the counter.

"Good. Now I'll just take that," Simon said, after I was finished mixing all of the clumps out of the batter. He picked up the bowl off the counter and poured all the mix into the baking pan, and put it into the oven, setting a timer on it so the brownies wouldn't burn. "There," he said, sounding satisfied with himself.

Tori's clap sounded through the kitchen, as she threw Simon a smirk. "Well done, Emril. I'm sure, that now, with watching you create your masterpiece, and showing off your fabulous cooking skills, Chloe here will be the next Martha Stewart."

Derek gave a grunt, one with a meaning that could have ranged from, "Shut up, Tori," to "You're not funny." He came up behind Chloe, and placed a tentative hand on her waist. She stepped back, pressing herself closer to him, signaling, that _yes_, it was okay for him to wrap his arm more tightly around her if he wanted.

It had been like this for a little over a month now, ever since they had defeated the Edison Group, since Chloe and Derek both discovered they're actual feelings for each other went beyond the casual ones of friendship. Each time Derek was near Chloe, or tried to touch her, he was gentile about it, never forceful, maybe even a little bit shy, and it was starting to drive Chloe. . . insane.

Sometimes she felt awkward- not by Derek, _never_ by him, but by their situation. The both lived in the same house together, and they were both very new to being in a relationship, plus, it was hard to actually have alone time when everyone was always in the house, and going out alone was almost near impossible with aunt Lauren breathing down Chloe's neck all the time about the dangers of being in a relationship with a werewolf.

Things seemed to be becoming more complicated everyday for Chloe, but she didn't regret a thing. She cared for Derek, sometimes so much that it scared her in a way. They hadn't been together long, barely a month, and they hadn't really gone beyond the stage of light kissing, and holding hands. . .but she seemed to want more. . . not much more, she knew neither of them were ready for _that_, not for a long time. But Chloe wanted Derek to not have to hesitate before touching her, or have to feel like he had to have her permission to kiss her.

It was so frustrating sometimes. Chloe sighed, a look of irritation crossed her face before she could control it, and she was pretty sure Tori caught it, because she raised an eyebrow at her, before loudly announcing that she was not to be disturbed while she showered, and then she was gone.

And then there were three. . .

Simon glanced at Chloe and Derek, who looked like they wanted some privacy. He ran his hand through his hair, shuffling his feet from side to side awkwardly. "Uh, I think I'm gonna head to my room, and uh, draw something. Don't forget to take out the brownies when the alarm sounds," he reminded, before leaving them alone in the kitchen rather quickly.

Chloe felt Derek's hand loosen on her waist, as he took a step back. She turned to face him, with a questioning look on her face.

"Soo. . ." Derek's voice was gruff, and he coughed before looking around the empty, quiet kitchen.

Chloe's throat tightened. She wanted to kiss him, and she knew that he wanted to kiss her, he was acting. . .she didn't know what to call it. . .shy, maybe? Was he afraid? "Derek, what's wrong?" she asked suddenly, drawing the words out in a long sigh. She felt so confused.

"Nothing," he said a little too quickly, before breaking his gaze away from hers.

"Derek-"

"_Nothing," _he repeated, his voice a held a sharp tone in it, one that made Chloe shut her mouth, and stare at him in shock.

Why was he being this way? She wondered. She had notice it in the past week, he kept distancing himself from her, she could see it, and feel it.

Derek watched Chloe's surprised expression turned to hurt, before her lips tightened. "Fine," she said, keeping her voice calm, an angry ting dangled on the edge of the word.

Her blue eyes narrowed slightly, as Derek watched in regret. She sidestepped him, and began to walk out of the kitchen, but before she could cross the threshold, Derek's stalking form was in front of her, his hands reaching out, and landing lightly, but firmly on her shoulders. "Chloe, I'm sor-"

"_No," _she hissed, even surprising herself at her harsh tone, "If you don't want to tell me, then don't. But don't think for one second that you're going to apologize. You don't get to keep doing this," her voice held firmly, as she met his gaze.

Derek stiffened at her tone, and his hands dropped from her shoulders, and fell limply to his sides. A feeling, one he couldn't describe or really put his finger on, started to fester in the pit of his stomach. His jaw was slack, and his heart was racing as he stared at Chloe, Chloe who was so angry at him at the moment, who didn't realize how hard it was for him.

All Derek wanted to do at that moment was pull her into his arms and press her against him, shielding her from the bad, and keeping her happy and safe from the evil in this world. He laughed bitterly to himself in his mind. How could he do that, there was no way he could protect her from something that _he_ himself was. He was no good for her, he knew that in the beginning when he first started developing feelings for her, and he knew it now. Heck even her aunt knew it, but that still didn't stop Chloe.

Stubborn, caring, pretty, tiny Chloe. He watched her gaze soften for a moment, before hardening again.

"I'll be in my room. I need to think," she spoke almost robotically, and her movements were jerky, as she backed away from him, and moved to the left, before walked away from him.

Derek's body went rigid, standing stock-still as he listened to Chloe's light foot-steps, as she walked- or rather stomped down the hall, and slammed her door.

_She was mad_, Derek thought to himself, _really mad_.

The delicious smell of brownies, wafted from the stove to his right, but his mind didn't even wander towards them. He was focused on how to get Chloe to talk to him. But he knew what he really should have focused on was what he needed to tell her, what she needed to understand.

Derek pressed his fingers to his temples, and closed his eyes. _Why was everything so hard? _He wondered, especially when it came to Chloe, the one thing he wanted so much, and needed so much more.

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**ANN: So how did I do? Was it alright? Are they in character? My main concern with most fanfiction story's on here is that Derek is never in character, and he acts to loving and sweet way too fast, and honestly, that's not him at all. . .maybe on the inside it is, but on the outside, Derek is still him, he's still award with Chloe, and he's still learning how to act with her when it comes to affection, and obviously it's hard for him. He wants her, but he's still Derek, and he's always thinking against what he wants. . . So, please Review, it'll probably make the next chapter come out much, much faster. . . And I promise not to wait so long before posting the next chapter up! Thanks- Anya.**


	3. Chapter Three: Inner Fight

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Darkest Powers. . .but I wish I did!**

**AN: Obviously, I'm in the mood to write. . .so here's chapter three. And thanks for the wonderful Reviews! Please Read and Review some more! Thanks- Anya.**

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**Chapter Three**

**Inner Fight**

Derek knew he should just leave Chloe alone for a bit, to let her cool off, but he couldn't. He wouldn't just let things be left like that, not when there had been so much left unsaid. He stood there in that tiny kitchen, coaxing himself to take deep breaths, the wolf was angry at him. . .he wasn't sure why exactly, but he could feel the wolf's rage. _Come on, Derek, just go in there and demand she accept your apology_, he told himself mentally, but already knew there was no point. You _couldn't_ demand Chloe to do anything, he learned that from the very beginning. She was suborn, and he knew she didn't take orders well. Those thoughts annoyed him, but at the same time he couldn't help but grin, those traits that Chloe possessed, were also a big reason to why he was so attracted to her.

A low grow slid through his teeth when he felt the hand on his arm- pulling him out of his thoughts suddenly.

"Whoa, jeez, bro, don't go biting my arm off," Simon warned, giving his foster brother a strange look, as he shook his head at him.

Derek's growling seized immediately, and his gaze turned to Simon. "Thought you were sketching," he commented.

Simon raised an eyebrow. "Well, I was, but all that stomping and door slamming sort of broke my concentration. It's hard to draw with all that noise. What happened?"

Derek looked away, "Chloe and I had a fight," he mumbled lowly, knowing very well that Simon probably didn't catch a word he said, but at the same time, knew what he was trying to say. In truth, it embarrassed Derek. He wasn't any good with girls- not that any of that had bothered him before, but now it mattered to him, and having to admit it to his brother that he had absolutely no clue what he was doing, was humiliating.

"Yeah, I figured Chloe was mad at you. Why though?" He asked, walking towards the refrigerator, and opening it with ease, before ducking his head inside, scanning the contents with a critical eye.

It was even worse to admit to why Chloe was mad at him, because he knew that he had been wrong for snapping at her. Derek crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned against the kitchen wall. "She asked something I didn't want her to, and I snapped at her," he admitted lowly.

Simon looked over his shoulder at him, before pulling out a variety of cold-cuts from the fridge. "Lemme' guess, you tried to apologize and she didn't want to hear it, huh?"

Derek cursed his brother for knowing him all to well. "Yes," he grunted.

Simon grinned to himself, knowing very well what would set Chloe off, especially when it came to Derek. He arranged the deli-meats on the counter near the stove, and grabbed a loaf of whole-wheat bread. "So, whatcha' going to do?"

"Obviously, he needs to go apologize. . .again," Tori voiced, pushing off from the kitchen's entrance where she had been listening from.

"Thanks for the opinion, Tori, and for ease-dropping," Simon glared at her. "That was sure a long shower."

She rolled her eyes, and strolled up to him, before hip-bumping him out of the way, so she could arrange her own sandwich. "I'm just telling him what he needs to do so Chloe can stop being all mopey. She's acting like her dog died or something," she glanced at Derek with a smirk at her little joke.

Derek didn't find it too funny though. He didn't like the thought of Chloe sad, because of what he had done. He knew the whole thing was his fault, that if he could just be normal. . .act like other guys did around their girlfriends, then his and Chloe's relationship could be a whole lot better, would be a lot easier.

But he wasn't normal, he was a werewolf, with super-strength, and territorial issues. He was trying his hardest not to become too attached to Chloe yet, he knew that soon he wouldn't be able to stay away from her. There was this strange. . . _need, _to be with her all the time, to know where she was, and what she was doing. It drove him crazy when she wasn't in sight, or if he didn't know how she was feelings from the expressions on her face. He knew that keeping his distance was for the best, because soon his instincts would kick in over-drive, and he'd never be able to go back to how it was before once he crossed that line.

A part of Derek- a big part of him, knew very well exactly what Chloe was to him, what she meant to him, to _his_ wolf. But he tried to block out those thoughts, and suspicions, it was just too much to handle at the time. He didn't want to be one of those guys- the ones who controlled their girlfriend's every move. He couldn't be that guy, but he knew it was hard to get a hold on, it was who he was.

He wanted Chloe to be near him, always, he ached when she wasn't in his line of sight- even at that very moment, as he stood there in the kitchen, watching Simon and Tori argue over a packet of turkey, he felt the loss of Chloe's presence by his side.

And the scariest part was that it wasn't just him that ached for her, it was the wolf too. The wolf was whimpering uncontrollably for her touch, her smile, and her happiness.

Derek knew what it meant. He wasn't stupid, he read the books on werewolves and how they eventually found mates. . .it was just hard to comprehend, to grasp that he had found someone. . . that he had found _Chloe_. He had never thought he'd ever want to be with anyone other than his dad and Simon. But now he did, he wanted her, needed her in the most desperate way.

Swallowing his pride, Derek left Simon and Tori alone in the kitchen to their bickering, while he walked out of the kitchen, past the living-room, and headed straight for Chloe's doorway.

Once he stood in front of the offensive plank of wood that kept him from seeing Chloe, he knocked on the door lightly, praying that she'd let him in.

After a minute of holding his breath, he heard Chloe's heart rate increase, and her light foot-steps. They didn't move closer to the door though, but farther away from it.

His hope sank, until he heard her quiet voice whisper ever so lightly, "Come in, Derek."

Derek placed his hand on the door knob, and turned it, pushing through the door slowly, knowing that he only had mere seconds to figure out exactly how he was going to explain to her what he _needed_ to say.

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**ANN: So, how was it? I can't believe I'm updating so soon already, but I feel the need to write. . . because I seriously love Derek! Yep. . . I do, and I like Chloe and Derek together, because their adorable. . . So, anyway, I'm going to study for my Science exam, and then go to sleep. Night All. Please Review! Thanks again- Anya. **


	4. Chapter Four: Awkwardness

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Darkest Powers. . . or the amazing characters, unfortunately.**

**AN: . . . And here's chapter four. Did I mention I'm in the mood to write about Derek and Chloe. . . ? Because I am. I really am. I don't know if it's because it's close to the holidays and I'm happy or what, but I feel the need to type, so yeah, here's chapter four. Thanks for all the nice, and encouraging reviews. Please read and Review some more. . . Anya.**

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**Chapter Four**

**Awkwardness **

Green eyes stared into the depths of the blue ones that belonged to the girl he faced. Her expression was one of weary, tiredness as she stared back at him.

Derek groaned internally, wishing he knew what she was thinking- or at least what she was feeling, because her guarded expression gave nothing away as she watched him walk into the room, keeping a good three feet between them.

Chloe made no move to get closer- in fact she moved a few inches back, and sat on her bed, pulling her knees up to her chest, keeping her eyes on Derek the whole time.

Derek didn't know what the movement back meant exactly. Did she not want him near her, or did she just want to sit, maybe thinking it would make things easier? He wasn't sure, but held his place, hoping things would turn out alright.

"You wanted to talk." It wasn't a question exactly, Chloe knew he wanted to talk, for he was the one who came to her. She was just making the statement known, letting him know that it was okay for him to proceed.

Derek swallowed, nodding automatically. "Yeah," he mumbled, looking down, before making himself meet her eyes. "Yes, I wanted to talk."

"So, talk.," Chloe ordered, but kept any anger- _if she had any_- out of her voice.

Derek pushed his hair out of his eyes- a nervous habit- and nodded again. "First, I wanted to apologize again. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. . . I should have just been truthful and said that, _yeah,_ something was bothering me. . ." His voice trailed off, and he knew he wasn't doing _this_ right. He never felt like he did anything right when it came to Chloe.

Chloe could see his internal fight, and her eyes softened. He was trying- she knew that, she really did. She was aware of how hard it was on him, how new everything was. He was most likely having the same doubts and questions as her.

With out thinking, she laughed.

Derek's head snapped up, his eyes instinctively narrowing, as he watched Chloe laugh at him struggle to get his words out. Embarrassment, and anger flared through his veins, and with out looking at her again he spun on his heel, and headed in the direction of the door.

"Derek," Chloe's voice turned frenzied, as she jumped off the bed and dashed to his side, her arms reaching out as if to touch him, but she never made the contact, instead dropping her arms to her side limply, as she watched him pause at the door, his back to her. "Wait."

Derek was ridged as he stood there, his fists clenched at his sides, and his eyes were shut tightly. He was debating about what to do, he didn't think he could manage to make himself talk- not when there was a possibility of her laughing at him again.

"Derek," Chloe repeated his name more softly this time, gentler as she realized what thoughts were probably running through his head. "Will you please turn around and look at me?"

It took him nearly a minute to obey, and when he faced her. . .all the anger, confusion, and embarrassment left him. Chloe's facial expression was a reflection of remorse, and sadness.

"I wasn't laughing at _you_. I was laughing at me . . .at the situation rather," she explained.

But Derek still didn't get it. What was so funny about the situation? He couldn't find a single thing that was worthy of humor. "The situation?"

Chloe looked away, suddenly flustered. "W-w-well, yeah. I mean, I was thinking that we both. . .were. . .um, probably worried over the same things, and I thought it was, uh, funny. . .?" Her explanation came out as more of a question, and now it was her turn to look embarrassed. She had no idea what she was saying.

Derek sighed, feeling relieved for some reason. And all of the sudden feeling a bit more confident, he reached out and ran his hand down Chloe's porcelain cheek, along the curved of her shoulder, and all the way southward until his hand was at level with hers. He clasped it gently, giving it a squeeze, while taking a deep breath. "I get what you're trying to say. Sorry for overreacting," he rumbled, and took a step closer.

Chloe pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and craned her neck up, staring into Derek's emerald eyes. Those green depths always made her stomach clench when they were staring at her like that. She could get lost in. . .

_No_, she knew they had to resolve this problem. She knew that whatever it was that was making Derek hold himself back was only going to get worse.

Chloe made herself focus. "I need you to tell me what's wrong, Derek. I need to know what's. . .holding back, why you're keeping your distance when you know you don't have to. That _I_ don't want you to." The words should have been easy to say, but they weren't, not when it came to her having to say them to Derek.

At that moment, he had wanted to kiss her. He had _really_ wanted to kiss her. The _need. _. .the force that was pulling him to her was stronger, much stronger. And he would have acted on that need if Chloe's soft, hesitant voice hadn't interrupted. He was disappointed, but also glad for the disruption, knowing that kissing her really wouldn't solve anything at that moment.

"Derek," Chloe urged gently. She knew this was going to be a challenge for him. He wasn't big on being coddled, or having to share his feeling. But she knew for _her_, he'd tell the truth, he'd be honest with her, because he knew how important it was to her.

Derek wanted to be open with her, he wanted it so badly, but he was. . .scared, not just because he didn't know how to tell, or explain it to her, but because he was afraid of her reaction. Would she still want him in the same way as before when she knew the truth?

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**ANN: Hope it was alright. I know this story is pretty slow paced, but it's always like that in the beginning of all my stories, I promise the plot and action will pick up shortly, just abre with me! . . .And please Review, it's so encouraging, and makes me want to write when I get Reviews from people. Thanks again- Anya!**


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